jtalis

[jtalis]

@jtalis wrote: it's viktor's birthday. jayce has never been a great gift-giver, always too on the nose or too abstract about the whole thing to really hone in on what matters. he supposes he could just be upfront and ask the man himself, but not only has viktor been surprisingly elusive these past handful of days, but it feels like that would spoil the sentiment behind it. so before viktor is supposed to come into the laboratory to finish up a report on their newest set of experiments, jayce stops by the nearby bakery, buys the sweetest cake he can find behind the glass of the case, and spends at least an hour anxiously bouncing his leg in his chair as he waits. that's not without a proper present, of course. tucked away in a neatly wrapped box is a red tie that may or may not be the exact same one jayce wears. in his defense, they're partners now. unity looks good to investors, right ? and it's a nice tie, perhaps a bit understated but classy all the same. does viktor even like ties, or does he only wear them as a part of the academy uniform ? just as he considers running out to find a gift that doesn't scream ' i'm the most boring man alive', he hears the familiar squeak of their door. " viktor ? " jayce stands abruptly, the scrunch of his brow softening into an eager greeting. " i heard it was your birthday. to be honest, i almost thought you'd actually take the day off for yourself. " he approaches now, his offering in his hands, anxieties almost forgotten in his excitement. " um, i know you like sweets, so i got you something small from the bakery. and this. " the box is pressed into viktor's hands, and jayce draws back as though to offer him space to decide it's awful. " happy birthday, vik. "

"jayce? ..." his own words mirror back as he hears his own name, head lifting from the ground for viktor's gaze to meet the others. perhaps he shouldn't be too surprised to see him, they were partners in this shared space after all. but in truth, jayce was earlier than usual, not that is was unwelcome of course. hand reaches backwards to close the door behind him, unable to hide the grin which cracks onto his face following the other's next comment. "yes, well you know, the scientific mind never rests, and this certainly isn't an exception."

in truth, viktor didn't think much of today. growing up in poverty, gifts weren't exactly guaranteed on these special occasions, barely having enough funds to survive, so most birthday traditions were thrown out the window. even once he'd grown and moved to piltover, he was simply too busy, head first in being professor heimerdinger's assistant that it often flew over his head. he hadn't expected much today either, but it seemed jayce had other plans... how had he even found out it was today anyhow? had someone informed him? but now's not the time for questions, not when the other man's present was presented forth.

"you... got something for me? jayce, you shouldn't have." golden hues glance over the other's shoulder, catching glimpse of the still boxed cake behind him, brows quirking upwards. oh, his taste buds sparked to life almost immediately, but he relocates his focus to the box within his hands. a gentle tug opens it, surprise reflecting into viktor's eyes before softening once more. hand reaches inwards to pull the tie from it's confines, examining it closely before meeting the other's gaze once more.

"hm, now where have i seen this before..." he can't help but joke, a subtle snicker escaping his throat as he takes a step closer. eyes meet jayce's half lidded, keeping his focus. but with him distracted, hand reaches to grab the other's matching red tie and yanks him downward slightly. "how you managed to do all of this without me noticing, i don't know how you did it... but thank you, jayce. i love it," he muses, faces mere inches apart before leaning upon tippy toes and planting a kiss to the other's lips. hm, sweet, perhaps more so than the pastry sitting nearby.

[jtalis]

“quit hogging all the warmth, you oaf, scoot over.” cold jayvik in the winter? yes :)

every year without fail,   the talis family home comes alive with laughter,   a warm bastion even within the freezing air that nips at piltover in the winter.   a record spins with the crackling of appropriately festive   (  if not a touch old-fashioned  )   music,   and as jayce huddles in front of the fireplace with a blanket around his shoulders,   he can smell the cookies his mother is baking to replenish the dwindling stock on the kitchen tray.     it doesn't help that the kids at the table keep swiping handfuls to stuff into their pockets 'for later',   or that forge worker axel has been eating double his weight in sugar.

their guests are many.   most are laborers of the talis forge and their families:   wives and husbands and sons and daughters,   whom jayce has long since settled into a comfortable intimacy with.   many of those who toil away under the crest of talis were there long before jayce was even born,   and even more of them were present to see him learn to toddle on two feet and count on his fingers and ride a bicycle.   their children are his nieces and nephews and cousins,   their partners his aunts and uncles.   a bond forged not by blood,   but by togetherness.   by his forefathers' love for the city and its people,   by the talis commitment to do what is best for them.   aside from the loneliness that pervades jayce's family home,   as it has since his father's untimely passing,   this is the reason why his mother takes special care to host this liveliness every snowdown.

he finds himself joined soon by his partner,   admittedly to little surprise.   they have long since established an uneasy,   almost symbiotic relationship in the demands of their bodies:   jayce,   ever-warm and constantly working up a sweat,   finds solace in viktor,   who is almost like a reptile in his body's refusal to retain heat.     the opposite applies,   and his partner bumps shoulders with him to pointedly scowl in ' i'm cold. '   as requested   (  ordered,   more like,   though jayce doesn't mind  )   he scoots down to center viktor at the lintel,   but not before pulling the other man to his flank and draping the blanket over the both of them with a smile.   “   better  ?   ”

the talis family has been hosting these little gatherings since jayce can remember, but this is the first he's invited viktor. it's the nostalgia of the music and the chatter of the people and the buzz of champagne that sees him forget propriety,   even amongst company,   and he leans in to press a chaste kiss to the other's temple.   “   happy snowdown,   viktor.   ”

[jtalis]

hello! while i've been busy with work / family recently, i wanted to gently nudge people toward my nunu & willump blog @svellsongur ... these two cuties are my comfort muses and i especially miss them during the holiday season :') they have an arcane verse ( kind of ) and everything! 👉👈

[jtalis]

@jtalis cursed me with this so now i am legally obligated to share it.

[jtalis]

❥         𝐁𝐈𝐆       𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎       𝟔     (    ₂₀₁₄    )     ﹔please  do  not  add  to  the  post.  you  may  adjust  any  pronouns  as  needed.

the winner, by total annihilation… __! 

who is next?

who has the guts to step into the ring with me?

i have a robot. i built it myself.

beat it, kid.

you gotta pay to play.

what’s your name?

fighters ready?

fight!

can i try again?

no one likes a sore loser.

i’ve got more money.

this is not possible! 

hey, i’m just as surprised as you are.

beginner’s luck.

do you want to go again?

let’s talk about this.

get on!

good timing.

are you okay? are you hurt?

what were you thinking, knucklehead!

ow! ow!

and this is what you’re doing?

hold on!

you’re gonna get yourself arrested!

i’m on a roll and there is no stopping me!

tell me you’re okay.

what were you two knuckleheads thinking?! 

i have done the best i could to raise you.

have i been perfect? no.

do i know anything about children? no.

should i have picked up a book on parenting? probably!

where was i going with this?….. i had a point.

i had to close up early because of you     ON BEAT POETRY NIGHT.

stress eating. because of you!

you better make this up to them.

i hope you learned your lesson. 

there’s a fight across town.

when are you going to start doing something with that big brain of yours?

what? so i can go to college like you? so people can tell me stuff i already know?

unbelievable. 

oh, what would mom and dad say?

i don’t know.

they died when i was three, remember?

hey. i’ll take you.

i can’t stop you from going but i’m not going to let you go on your own.

what are we doing at your nerd school?!

the fight is that way!

relax, you big baby.

anyway, you’ve never seen my lab.

oh, great, i get to see your nerd lab!

heads up!

but, not fast enough…. yet.

do not move.

behind the line, please.

prepare to be amazed.

catch.

wow. how do you find anything in this mess?

oh! i have a system.

there’s a place for everything, and everything in its place.

need this!

you can’t do that!

this is an anarchy!

society has rules!

coming through!

oh, my gosh!!!!

I’VE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT YOU.

perfect timing. perfect timing.

ta-da! it’s pretty great, huh?

here’s the best part…

i spill wasabi on my shirt ONE time, people. one time.

they’re the one who comes up with the nicknames.

ah-ah. don’t be alarmed. it is just a suit.

this is not my real face and body.

school mascot by day, but by night… i am also a school mascot.

so, what’s your major?

i am a major science enthusiast.

i’ve been trying to get them to develop a formula that can turn me into a fire-breathing lizard at will.

they say that’s “not science”. 

i guess the shrink ray that i asked them for isn’t “science” either, is it?

well, then, what about ‘invisible sandwich’? 

so, uh, what have you been working on?

i’ll show you.

on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?

physical or emotional?

you’ve done some serious coding on this thing, huh?

where did you get those?!

have a lollipop.

he’s going to help a lot of people.

burning the midnight oil?

may i?

hey, genius!

oh, i don’t know…

if you like things easy, this isn’t for you.

we gotta hurry.

i’m going to lose my mind.

nothing! no ideas! useless, empty brain!

wow. washed up already. so sad.

i got nothing!

i’m never getting in.

i’m not giving up on you.

what are you doing?!

shake things up.

use that big brain of yours!

look for a new angle.

how are you feeling?

it takes a lot more than this to rattle me.

you have nothing to fear, little fellow.

stop whining. woman up.

what do you need?

i come prepared.

wow… that is both disgusting and awesome.

okay, photo, photo!

don’t mess it up.

don’t leave me hanging.

what’s going on?

things get a little more interesting.

nailed it!

you just blew my mind.

shut up.

that’s a man who’s only guided by his self-interest.

i know how you feel about me.

this is your decision.

i wouldn’t trust them with that… or anything else.

i appreciate the offer.

i thought you were smarter than that.

dinner is on meeee!

nothing is better than free food!

i’m so proud of you.

i know what you’re gonna say.

i should be “proud of myself, because i’m finally using my gift for something important”.

your fly was down the whole show.

i wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. so, you know, thanks for not giving up on me.

someone has to help.

[jtalis]

another late night in their shared laboratory, the sun having long set over the horizon, yet for the pair of scientists, that didn't mean it was time to stop working. viktor's golden hues were barely keeping open, fading and quickly blinking open before his head could smack against the workbench, an all too familiar sight. yet when mr. talis got absorbed back into his own work, there was an eventual weight against his shoulder. a quick glance over would reveal the brunette having finally succumbed to dreamland, having fallen asleep and was now using the other's form as a pillow.

it is simple enough to get absorbed in their work.     days bleed into nights,   evenings into the stars.     the open expanse of constellations overseeing them do little to disturb neither jayce nor viktor as they solder parts and flip through books that were more dust than pages when they'd purchased them.     it is all a part of the excitement of their work,   the knowledge that their forefathers had left them just enough to access the unfettered might of the arcane.     it is enough to keep talis in motion,   a set of gears spinning in perpetuity.     his hair defies the comb,   muscles weary from pushing and pulling every which way,   cheeks hollow from a painful lack of sleep.     AND YET,   HE HAS NEVER FELT SO ALIVE.

before the fledgling birth of hextech in his bedroom,   little connection could be drawn between the excitement of laboratory work and the dullness of reading     ...     sparks flying,   machinery humming,   goggles on.    it was nothing like scavenging for a scrap of information in the long lines of a book.     but for their research,   literature is power.    messily drawn freljordian runes on torn scraps of parchment,   ancient texts excavated from ionian ruins,   jayce finds himself drunk on the weight of age,   the gravity of untouchable antiquity.     even now,   deep into the night,   he squints keenly at a singular line of text,   as though the deeper furrow of his brow will magically reveal its meaning to him.     “   v,   ”    he begins,   affectionate call sticking in his throat.     the curse of underuse as they share their workspace in silence,   communicating through a silent dance across the floor,   in avoidance of each other's pieces of the larger arcane puzzle.

“   this tome has almost the same pattern as the ones we saw yesterday.   ”     answer is in the silence offered to him,   little more than a blink of eyes perhaps barely more overworked than jayce's dimmed hazel.     undiscouraged,   he finds renewed interest in a thin note scratched out along the margin of the page,   abruptly interrupted by weight against his shoulder.     “   ...   viktor   ?   ”     once again,   silence.     only then does jayce dare allow his attention to wander,   hard line of his frown growing soft in observation.     his hands,   forge-warmed and fleshed by the sun,   are pulled to bony shoulders.     viktor is pliable,   a mirror of the elasticity of his mind,   and does not protest as jayce pulls him in to more comfortably find a pillow upon the breadth of his shoulder.     though he has half a mind to continue reading,   there is little keeping his own eyes open as his head droops to find solace against his partner's.

[jtalis]

❛ how long has it been since you've slept? ❜

try as he may,   grasping for words,   jayce finds no response.     quick is he to turn to the crystalline encasement occupying the laboratory's nexus,   desperate enough to search for an answer there.     similarly,   nothing.     his chest deflates now,   dark circles stark against hazel gaze,   shoulders pulling up with exhaustion.     as though the act itself is wearing upon him,   gnawing at his chest.     “   i'm     ...     not sure,   ”     comes defeated answer,   hesitation in his admission.     as though he is a boy again,   chastised for sneaking a book and a flashlight beneath the covers to delay the ring of morning's schoolbell,   and not accompanying an unresponsive coccoon as though it will simply disappear without his careful watch.

it is unspoken reprimand which renders him mute,   unable to conjure up explanations and excuses.     despite this,   selfish desire keeps him rooted here,   has seen him refuse food and company.     instead,   jayce finds a moment of solace in the line of runes scrawled across one of viktor's many notebooks,   shame keeping him unable to properly seat his attention upon divine intervention.     to him,   she is so,   but a saint in the dark.     she must be,   for all her angelic patience in his mania,   her newfound responsibility to the people in his absence.     few have dared push past the heavy doors to their workshop in recent days,   afraid to disturb the sanctity of this cathedral.     jayce doesn't see why:   what was once a holy place for invention and innovation has been soiled by blood.     THERE IS NO DIVINITY IN THIS PLACE NOW.

still,   she is magnetized,   and he is drawn to her.     as she approaches,   a familiar   click,   click,   click   against the cold floor of their laboratory,   he finds his limbs growing heavy.     he is tired,   oh so tired.     “   it's just   –   ”     the words stick in his chest,   as though they must claw their way through his throat.    “   every second that goes by like this is a second that   ...   ”     that might take him from us,   that might see him CONSUMED by the hexcore entirely.    he doesn't dare speak it.    but mel knows,   she always knows.     “   never mind that.     how are things out there   ?   ”

[jtalis]

&. 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬.

( this is basically just a very self indulgent list of various fluff, angst, and suggestive themed dialogue sentence starters. )

❛ i could keep you safe. they’re all afraid of me. ❜

❛ i’m trying to fix your hair, so hold still. ❜

❛ your heart is beating so fast right now. ❜

❛ promise me you’ll still be here when i wake up. ❜

❛ you’re not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ i thought you’d like some company. ❜ 

❛ clean yourself up. you're getting blood all over the place. ❜

❛ here, give this a try and tell me what you think. ❜

❛ you can kiss me, you know. ❜

❛ come back to bed. ❜

❛ you look good like this. ❜

❛ working together again, it’s just like old times. ❜

❛ how is it you always know what i need, huh? ❜

❛ you’re lucky you got away with only a scratch. ❜ 

❛ i can’t imagine losing someone like that. i’m sorry. ❜

❛ you know you can always talk to me. ❜

❛ the only one who gets to kill you, is me. ❜

❛ so, what do i owe this pleasure? ❜

❛ ah, so you aren’t heartless after all. ❜

❛ may i have this dance? ❜ 

❛ it’s okay, you can touch me. i won't break. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

❛ hold still. this might sting a little. ❜

❛ we can't keep doing this. ❜ 

❛ you look like you've got something to say. ❜

❛ just relax and let me take care of you. ❜

❛ thought you’d be lighter without all that blood. ❜

❛ i had it under control. you didn’t need to do that. ❜

❛ everything looks so beautiful from up here. ❜

❛ you treat all your ladies like this? ❜

❛ well? how do i look? ❜

❛ can’t sleep? ❜

❛ do you mind if i smoke? ❜

❛ i’m scared of ending up alone. ❜

❛ i don’t think i’ve ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ how long has it been since you've slept? ❜

❛ you are losing my interest, and that’s very dangerous. ❜

❛ i’d suffer hell if you’d tell me what you’d do to me tonight. ❜

❛ you look really pretty right now. ❜

❛ i’ve never cared for anyone the way i care for you. ❜

❛ i’m not wearing any underwear. thought you’d like to know. ❜

❛ just a few more stitches and you’ll be as good as new. ❜

❛ i’d say we make a pretty good team. ❜

❛ i want you to forget this ever happened. ❜

❛ i'm here for business — not pleasure. ❜

❛ if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were jealous. ❜

❛ you'd look better down on your knees. ❜

❛ fine, keep acting like you hate me. ❜

❛ kiss me again. ❜

❛ are you asking me out on a date? ❜

❛ just sit there and look pretty and let me handle this. ❜

❛ you okay? caught you staring off into space again. ❜

❛ well, i do feel better now that you're here. ❜

❛ i'm not drunk enough for this. ❜ 

❛ why is it whenever we see each other, you’re covered in blood? ❜

❛ i was wrong about you. ❜ 

❛ the first time i met you, i had no idea you'd mean this much. ❜

❛ you gonna be a good girl / boy for me? ❜

❛ i’m not afraid of you. ❜

❛ books mean more to me than people anyway. ❜

❛ i just wanted to say thank you for protecting me. ❜

❛ how about a kiss goodnight? ❜

❛ i don’t have time for distractions right now. ❜

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

❛ if i have to think about one more thing today, my head will explode. ❜

[jtalis]

ARCANE 1.03 || 2.06

[jtalis]

ARCANE | 1.03 “The Base Violence Necessary for Change”

[jtalis]

it's a familiar motion,   the paper crumpling in on itself,   shaped into a crude ball with a calloused hand.     even well beyond his days as an ambitious apprenta,   eager to prove his worth with convoluted diagrams and charts,   the act of lettering with the pen in his hand reduces him to little more than a boy still wet behind the ears.     his bronze knuckles turn white with the strength of finality before he makes to toss it into the waste bin alongside the rest,   able to remain ignorant to the mess he's made as long as the subject of his frustrations is discarded somewhere behind him.     as unorganized as his mind,   the inventors' laboratory has become the writer's prison.

jayce has never been a speaker.     his brilliance is in his hands:   broad palms and long fingers which weld scraps and hammer out steel,   ingrained into his bones in boyhood,   physical proof of a spiritual maker.     his shoulder has wound itself into a knot with all of this time at his desk,   not unlike his uneasy stomach as he dares to glance at the piling manuscripts scattered beside him.     all begin with different addresses:   good evening ladies and gentlemen,   hello everyone,   and yet they all end in the same looping scrawl,   an identical abandonment of their sentiment.

click,   click,   click.     jayce runs warm even without his long - discarded coat,   liquid fire of his family's forge running through his veins,   and the shock of cold fingers through his shirt sees him nearly jump out of his skin.     "   mel !   "     the axis of his body aligns with hers as he swivels in his chair,   drawn by the gravity of her presence.     always with a restless mind,   there are few who capture his full attention the way she does.     "   i   ...   i'm not much of a poet,   "   comes sheepish admission.     he remembers himself only then,   and clears the rasp from his throat.     "   never mind that.     what are you doing here   ?   "

jtalis     ♡

it     hangs     in     the     air     like     a     suffocating     cloud,     emotions     tangible     as     they     spiralled     &     overflowed.          she     need     not     see     it     to     know     he     was     anxious     &     riddled     with     nerves...          but     she     could     see     it     too.          the     way     papers     scattered,     scrawled     with     varying     speeches,     all     the     same     but     slightly     different.          the     way     his     knee     bounces     &     fingers     fidget,     like     a     cog     trying     to     fit     into     a     space     too     tight.

a     dream     born     of     passion     &     affection,     kindled     by     kind     hands     with     the     promise     of     something     greater.          the     picture     was     so     much     bigger,     that     of      promise     &     progress;          for     city     above     &     the     one     below.          eyes     once     closed     now     open,     even     if     shadow     remains     cast     upon     skeptical     partner.          smart,     the     man     who     works     himself     like     a     machine.

"     you're     doing     it     again     "          voice     cuts     through     the     silence,     tap     of     heels     following     suit.          his     knee     shakes     &     his     fingers     itch,     better     suited     for     a     kiln;          warm     beneath     her     touch.          hand     'pon     his,     other     atop     shoulder     as     eyes     glance     at     scattered     papers.          she     can't     help     the     quirk     of     her     lips,     endeared     in     a     strange     way.          albeit,     worries     wouldn't     help     him...          or     her.

"     how     many     times     can     you     write     the     same     thing,     i     wonder     ?     "

[jtalis]

# 𝑱𝑻𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑺,          an  independent  &  private  single multi muse blog for  jayce  giopara talis  of  riot games & fortiche’s  𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐄.     ⚙ ... as  defended  by  kai     (     1999,     he  /  him     )      with  a portrayal  heavily  influenced  by  personal  headcanons & league of legends lore. * revived nov 2024 !   . fates intertwined with medrda.

₀₁ carrd. ₀₂ pins. ₀₃ tags. ₀₄ blogs.

[jtalis]

IRON MAN (2008) dir. Jon Favreau